


A Token of Friendship

by Lyndis



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Memories, Mention of Past Abuse, Neil and Aaron met before canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:08:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28508697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyndis/pseuds/Lyndis
Summary: Neil met Aaron before, when he was eight. They just both don't know about it.
Relationships: Katelyn/Aaron Minyard, Neil Josten & Aaron Minyard, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 24
Kudos: 205





	A Token of Friendship

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Tumblr Post](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/736836) by NickyKlose. 



> I wanted to gift this to nickyklose on tumblr, but she might not have an ao3 account.

It happened at the end of Neil’s second year. He had heard that Aaron was failing a class or was barely scraping by. Matt had told him over a cup of coffee, because apparently, Aaron was unbearable when he was that stressed. Neil kind of understood why. While most of them wanted to chase some Exy career in one way or the other, Aaron wanted to become a doctor. That had to be a lot of pressure.

The good side of it was that Aaron threw himself into practice and games like his life depended on it. It was probably the only thing he could exert control over, the only thing he could get a rush of approval from. So Neil didn’t say anything.

Andrew was a bit stressed over it, though, because he feared Aaron would start to use again, but it didn’t look like it. No harm in being extra watchful, though.

Neil was on his way to the library between his classes and afternoon practice, when he saw Aaron sitting on the stairs up to the building. It wasn’t a particular unusual sight, but Neil’s eye was catched by something glinting in the sun. When he came closer, he saw something that looked like a coin, but not quite like it. Aaron tossed it up again and again, but then catched it and looked suspicious at Neil. Though he started to fiddle with the coin again, let it fall over his fingers, until he catched it again and started over. It was a golden coin with a hole in the middle. Neil knew such things came from theme parks sometimes and a sudden memory hit him.

* * *

Nathanial was sitting at the bar of a restaurant, being bored but not allowed to fiddle much. His mum was working in the kitchen, washing dishes, and he was only allowed to sit there, not making any noise or problems. He was good at sitting still. Well… not as good as he should be. Maybe, if he had been better at it, his Mum hadn’t woke him in the middle of the night half a year ago, telling him they had to go. He hadn’t seen his father since then. Something he was grateful for, but didn’t understand. If he had been better at being something his father wanted, then maybe he would have still been home. In his bed. Not at this bar, with the uncomfortable stool, with all the strange people, in a strange city and with no real place to sleep.

After a few hours, a boy came and sat two seats left to him.

Nathaniel… no… no… no… his mother had slapped him a few days ago for using his old name. He was Noah now. With black hair… his scalp still itched from the dye, but he was not allowed to scratch.

So Noah looked to the boy. Blond hair, brown eyes, a bit taller than Na… Noah. He looked tired and his shoulders were hunched. A tiny stretch of his skin between the hem of his shirt and the beginning of his trousers was visible and Nath…. Noah could see blue and black marks.

Nat… Noah tapped on the top of the bar to get the boy’s attention. When he had it, he gestured to the visible skin. Noah knew that no one was allowed to see the marks. The boy stuffed his shirt into his trousers quickly.

Noah wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone, but he whispered to the other boy, what to use to hide the marks and to lessen the pain. No one could hear them.

When the boy stood to go back to whatever horrible home he lived in, Noah gave him something. It was his most prized possession. A tiny coin with a hole in it. A token from a theme park. One of the few good memories he had from his home. He gave it to him because the boy still was at the horrible place and Noah was out of it. He hoped it could be a good memory for him, too.

* * *

Neil snapped out of the memory and looked at Aaron like he saw him for the first time. No…

“You kept it…” Neil’s mouth always was faster than his brain, but at least it made Aaron stop fiddling with the coin.

“What did I keep? What is that look, Josten? You only look like this if someone gives you a gift.”

Well… Neil swallowed hard.

“You kept the coin.”

Aaron froze, then his eyes went wide with realization. “Don’t fuck with me, Josten. This isn’t funny. This is no time for your fucking mindgames. If you want something from me, tell me. Don’t you dare try and pry something good from me, so you can use it to get your way again.”

That was… that was kind of deserved and for once his temper kept in place. His heart ached.

“Did it help?”, Neil asked, breathless. “The tips I gave you? And the coin? Did… was it a good memory?”

Now Aaron couldn’t deny it. Not even Andrew knew of the coin’s history, Neil was sure of it. Maybe Katelyn knew, but she wouldn’t tell Neil something that personal. Not even when he had a good reason to ask for information.

“Mum and I left a few days later. I think she stole from the register and was caught. I asked her to stay and if we could take you with us.”

He didn’t need to mention that she beat him for that. He hadn’t been allowed to make bonds with anyone. It had been one of the first lectures he got from her.

“It’s my good luck token.”, Aaron answered, his voice for once devoid of disgust or anger. It was carefully neutral. He sounded a lot like Andrew in that moment. “I have it with me for every exam. I have it in my pants pocket so I can feel it, when I need to. It’s like one of these ‘x years sober’ coins. Keeps me grounded.”

Neil nodded. That was awfully emotional. Awfully intimate. Neil couldn’t stand that anymore. Not with Aaron. It was too much.

“Good”, he just said and started to walk up the stairs. “See you around I guess.”

“Yeah. You, too, Neil.”

Neil went into the library, his heart aching, his breath rapid. He thought… all these years he had thought he would just vanish from this earth, if he died. That he would die a nobody. That no one would care.

But all this time… all this time there had been a boy who kept one of his most prized possessions dear. Who remembered the boy at the bar every time he touched the token that kept him grounded. A good luck charm. A thing that kept him going.

Neil called Andrew for help then, because he wasn’t able to handle this on his own.


End file.
